Furnace



W. LLOYD.

FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.16,19IB.

1,340,549 Patented May 18,1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

IZI

Original application filed May 4, 1916,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM LLOYD, OF HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T COXE TRAVELLING GRATE COMPANY, OF PORT CARBON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVAN IA.

FURNACE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WVILLIAM LLOYD, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing at Hazleton, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

invention relates to furnaces and particularly to a hopper for furnaaes of-the automatic stoker type, the object of my invention being to provide an improved construction having features hereinafter specitied and pointed out in the claims and illustrated 'in the accompanying drawings in which, i

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a feed hopper and associated parts in which my invention is embodied in one form;

Fig. 2 is a plan thereof;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section'on the lines. 4+4, Fig. 1.

Fig. '5 is a broken partial elevation of the regulating gate; and

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66, Fig. 4.

The present application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 95,450, filed May 4, 1916. The present application is-'confined to the hopper and associated parts shown in said application.

The present furnace is of the general type invented many years ago by Eckley B. Coxe and shown in various patents issued to this inventor and his associates. As is well understood, the fuel is supported within the combustion chamber A, upon a traveling grate B, which is'mounted upon chains passing over sprockets at opposite ends of the grate to which the fuel is delivered at one end from the hopper E. It is to the construction of the latter hat the present ap- -plication is confined.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

Serial No. 95,450. Divided and this application filed January 16,

1918. Serial No. 212,131.

(Fig. 4) which bears at its opposite edges against the end wall of the fire box and is moved vertically by means of a pair of lifting' bars 122, the racks 123 of. which mesh with.pinions 124 on the shaft 125 of the worm wheel 126'. driven by the worm 127 (Fig. 3) on the spindle 128 of the hand wheel 129. Guide rollers 130 (Figs. 2 and 4) bear against the back of the racks 123 and insure their continuous engagement with the 'pinions 124. i

The regulating gate 121 is faced by a series of fire bricks 131 adapted to protect the body' of the gate from heat injury. These bricks are supported 'by' a ledge 132 offset from the lower portion of the gate and extending between the ribs 133 which reinforce the gate. The outer ends-of these ribs 133 may be provided with tongues 134 rabb eted into channels 135 in the side margins of the fire bricks. The bricks may thus be positioned on the regulating gate by simply lowering them agalnst the ledge 132 after the tongues 134 have been entered in the channels 135. This greatly facilitates repairs to the exposed face of the gate.

The gate is hung from the supporting and lifting bars 122 by a bayonet joint connection therewith, illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. Each lifting bar isprovided with an enlarged head 136 and certain of the ribs 133 are vertically slottedto receive the lifting bar and head inserted laterally therein to form a bayonet slot engagement therewith before the bricks 131 are positioned on the gate. It is obvious from Fig. 6 that after the bricks on each side of arib 133 are placed in position it is impossible for the head 136 of the associated lifting bar 122 to escapefrom its engagement with the rib.

The, fuel flows from the hopper E to the igniting plate 137 which is pivoted at its lower end on the studs 138 arranged beneath the regulating gate. At its upper endthis plate is provided with a pair of brackets 139 to which are attached lifting and'lowering cables or chains 140 passing over drums 141 .on shaft 142. The angular position of the ignition plate may be regulated through the operation of the hand wheel 143 on shaft 142 and held in adjusted position by means of the pawl 144 which engages'the ratchet wheel 145' fast on the shaft 142. The extent to which the ignition plate may be dropped is limited by the inwardly projecting stop lugs 146 on the side frame which lie in the path of the marginal webs 147 at each end of the ignition plate. The lower halfof is downwardly shouldered at 148 to form a seat'for the ignition brick 149 which completely overlies and protects the metal of the ignition plate against the fire. This brick 149 is secured in position by bolts 150, the heads of which are countersunk beneath the surface of the brick, while their shanks pass through the ignition plate and are secured by nuts 151. Between the shoulder 148 andthe bearing groove 154 extend at intervals strengthening ribs 155 east integral with the ignition plate 137. The securing bolts 150 pass through the bricks at points between the ribs. he position of the ribs is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

It is obvious that in case the fireman wishes to slice his fire it is onlynecessary to free the pawl 144 from the ratchet 145 after the cut-off gate 114 has been closed whereupon the ignition plate will drop by gravity to a substantially horizontal position and thus afford an opening beneath the hopper through which the slicing bars may be inserted into the fire box. I

The front face of the hopper E is preferably formed by a removable hopper wall,

here shown as a plate 152 which is hung on hooks 153 from any suitable cross member in the upper portion of the hopper, such as the shaft 125 of the regulating gate gear. This permits "the workmen to have ready access to the regulating gate and parts for repair purposes since the plate 152 may be either swung up on its axis or lifted free of shaft 153 and dropped, which ever is 'more convenient.

Various modifications in detail will readily occur to those skilled in the art and I do not limit my invention to the particular features of construction shown, but claim as my invention.

I claim 1. In a mechanical stoker, a feed hopper, a regulating gate beneath which said hopper delivers to the grate and a readily remove able hopper wall independent of the regulating gate and pressing said gate against the ends of the side walls of the furnace.

2. In a mechanical stoker, a feed hopper, a cross member in the upper portion thereof, a regulating gate beneath which said hopper delivers to the grate, together with a front hopper wall freely hung from said cross member and pressing against the back the ignition plate 137 i against the ends of the side walls of the furnace.

4. In a mechanical stoker, a feed hopper and regulating gate therefor, said gate having reinforcing ribs and supporting bars having a bayonet slot engagement with said ribs, substantially as described.

5. In a mechanical stoker, a feed hopper and regulating gate therefor, said gate having reinforcing ribs and supporting bars having a bayonet slot engagement with said ribs, in combination with fire bricks facing said gate and engaging on opposite sides of said ribs and serving to maintain said bayonet slot connection between the bars and ribs.

6. In a mechanical stoker, a feed hopper and an igniting plate over which the hopper delivers fuel to the grate, a pivotal support for the lower end of said plate, saidplate being ofiset at its lower end to aflord'a rest for a fire brick, substantially as described.

7 In a mechanical stoker, a feed hopper and an igniting plate over which the hopper delivers fuel to the grate, a pivotalsupport for the lower end of said plate, said plate being offset at its lower end to afford a rest for a fire brick, strengthening ribs in the brick area, and bolts piercing the bricks and plate between the ribs to hold the bricks in place.

8. In a mechanical stoker, a feed hopper, an igniting plate-over which the hopper delivers fuel to the grate, a pivotal support at igniting plate, means for vertically adjust-' ing said regulating gate to determine the depth of the fuel bed, together with a cutthe lower end of said igniting plate whereby the latter may be lowered to afford access off gate for stopping delivery from the hopper to the igniting plate.

In testimony whereof I have signed -my name to this specification.

WILLIAM LLOYD. 

